iPad For Business: Is It Hype Or A True Busienss Tool? It Can Be A Biz Tool.

Like all of you, I’m excited that Apple is launching another communication/media device, the iPad. It’s way to early to tell how the iPad will develop (sales), however, based on Apple’s past track record (i.e., iPhone) the iPad will probably be a hit.
Like the iPhone, the iPad already bridges chasms. Those who are looking at it for their next movie-watching, application-playing entertainment device and those who will carry it from their homes to their offices and use to present to clients and to access business applications.The power of Apple’s devices, and now the iPad is two fold:

The devices LOOK good. They’re cool. Let’s just admit that.

The devices are powered by 150,000 applications and rising. More and more are created all the time.

Is the iPad going to be a true contender for the basic notebook computer or netbook? Absolutely not. There is not built in keyboard and few business users will want to carry around a bag of accessories – just to be cool.
Tech Republic writes 10 reasons the iPad will be a hit for businesses. I don’t agree with all of them, but it’s worth a look.
Prasad Thammineni of OfficeDrop writes on Small Business TrendsThe most valuable business feature of the iPad that I see is its ability to visualize business information. The sleek design and large display simply begs to be looked at, making the iPad ideal for concept presentations, or anytime you want to wow an audience with graphics. With the iPad as your portable multimedia center, pitching at tradeshows and conferences will be simple and effective.What does this mean for your business?
As I always say, only buy technology if it saves time, saves money, boosts productivity, increases revenue or enhances customer service.
If the iPad can do that for your business, in some way, consider using it. Buy one or two and have your sales or customer service teams try them out.The secret sauce, overall, is going to be the applications that are developed for business to use with the iPad.Business Week writes a glowing article about the iPad here.The New York Times writes a more “down to earth” article here. I quote “The first five million will be sold in a heartbeat,” said Guy Kawasaki, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who was a marketing executive at Apple in the 1980s. “But let’s see: you can’t make a phone call with it, you can’t take a picture with it, and you have to buy content that before now you were not willing to pay for. That seems tough to me.”